Snowfeather, Part 1
by SnowfeathertheGriffin
Summary: Basically, its the story of a white griffin named Snowfeather.


It was snowing, the ground thick with the stuff. A dark figure was walking in it, her sand-colored pelt easily visible. Behind her, another figure, her chick, was barely visible, for her coat was as white as the snow around her.

"Mom," she called ahead, "I'm so cold, can we stop?"

"Come along, Snowfeather," her mother cooed to her, "it isn't much longer, and besides, you were the one who wanted to know what you were named after, so you don't have much room to complain."

"But I didn't realize that it was so cold!"

"Ok, you have a point. Why don't we go back to the cave, and we'll warm up," she carefully picked up Snowfeather with her beak, and padded on a well worn trail back to a large cave, where a black griffin was sitting near the entrance of the cave.

"Did our little adventurer have fun exploring the outside?" he said to his chick.

"It was so cold! But I love it!" she said excitedly to him.

"But she complained all the way," her mother said to her mate.

"Well, as long as she had fun, that's all that matters, doesn't it?"

"I had lots of fun! I'm cold, though, so can I go inside?" Snowfeather asked.

"Of course, sweetie" her father told her. She ran inside, her paws kicking up snow as she bounded over the drifts. "Goldenfur, how is she going to hunt?"

"If you haven't noticed, Ravenwing, she blends in perfectly to the snow. That's better than anything we can do," Goldenfur argued.

"But what about in the summer, when she doesn't blend into the ground? How will she do it then?" Ravenwing questioned

"I'm sure she will figure out a way," Goldenfur replied, "She's smart, and she will know what to do."

"I sure do hope you're right," he said.

"I know I am," she replied, and with that, they walked back into the cave. Snowfeather was lying in the huge nest that was in the center of the cave, curled up so she looked like a snowball. Goldenfur climbed into the nest, and lay down next to her. She picked her head up, and asked Goldenfur, "Mom, will it always be cold outside and have snow on the ground?"

She replied, "Of course not, honey. The snow will go away, and it will get warmer. That will cause more prey to come out, so we'll have more food."

"Can I go hunting then? I want to be able to bring food home too!" Snowfeather had gotten up and pranced around in the nest, excited with the thought of hunting and a full belly.

"Yes, you can, and I will teach you. You will also need to learn how to fly, and that will be your father's job," Goldenfur looked up at Ravenwing, who had just sat down in the nest.

"With me teaching, you will be the greatest flier in all of the land!" Ravenwing bellowed, proud to mentor his chick.

"I can't wait!" Snowfeather said. She yawned, and her mother wrapped one of her wings around her, as if it was a blanket. Snowfeather fell asleep, and her parents settled down in the nest to do the same.

As the days wore on, what Goldenfur said became true. The days became warmer, and the snow began to melt. Snowfeather was sad to watch the snow disappear, for she loves to scare her parents by hiding in the snow, where she was invisible, and they would freak out trying to find her. If they got close to her hiding place, she would jump out, scaring them even more. The only bad thing that would happen was that she would get a nip in the ear for scaring them, but to her it was worth it. She found it was a lot harder to hide after the snow melted, but her parents could hide very well, and they were able to bring in lots of prey. Goldenfur kept her promise and began teaching Snowfeather how to hunt by late spring. The first lesson was in Deer Place, a patch of woods close to the cave where deer tend to bed in a lot. Snowfeather and her mom were padding to a sand hollow towards the center of the woods, the sunlight dappled on her coat and feathers, making them shine.

"I can't wait to hunt!" Snowfeather cried

"One of the first lessons of hunting is to be quiet," Goldenfur told her. Snowfeather was silent for the rest of the way there. When they got to the hollow, Goldenfur showed her how to crouch, and told her to try. Snowfeather crouched, her hindquarters wiggling in the air, her tail swishing back and forth. "Try to keep your butt still, and same for you tail, you'll kick up leaves if you don't, and that will scare away all the prey." Snowfeather tried again, this time she was still, but her behind was still in the air. Goldenfur walked toward her and pushed it down with her paw.

"Thanks," Snowfeather said mockingly. They continued to work on hunting skills all day, and by the time they got home, the full moon was shining. Ravenwing has gotten a deer in another part of Deer Place, so after they got home, they all ate until there was nothing but bones. Ravenwing cleared the bones out of the cave, and they all went to bed. The next morning, Ravenwing took Snowfeather out to Big Hill, just on the far side of Deer Place, to train her to fly. They got to the top of the hill, and Snowfeather let out a gasp. She could see all of Deer Place, the trees swaying in the breeze.

"What do you think?" Ravenwing asked her.

"It's amazing!" she cried.

"Just wait until you see it from Griffin's Peak," he said, pointing to an overhang way above the cave.

"Can we go there now?" she asked.

"The only way to get up there is to fly, so once you are able to fly you can."

"Well, then let's go!" she called. She was already running off, her wings spread out, and she leapt into the air. Ravenwing chased after her, sure that she was going to fall, but she flapped her wings and took off into the air.

"Are you ok?" he yelled to her

"Never better!" she cried back. She swooped though the air as if she had done it all her life, he dad watching from the top of the hill, staring in awe. When she landed back down on the ground, she asked, "How did I do?"

"I was right what I said back in the winter, you already are the best flier in all the land!" Ravenwing said, standing proudly.

"Now can we go to Griffin's Peak?"

"Yes, I think your good enough" he said. They both took off into the air, and they flew over Deer Place. Snowfeather thought she smelled deer, but she wasn't interested in food right now. She saw the overhang as they go closer, and she couldn't believe how high up it was! She had to stretch her neck upward to see it, but as she was doing this, Ravenwing screeched "Look out!" She looked and something silver hit her! She started falling, and she shut her eyes, but something grabbed her and set her down on the ground. She opened her eyes, and saw a griffin, a little bigger that her, and it had dark gray fur and silver feathers.

"Are you ok?" the silver griffin asked.

"Yeah, you just scared me a little. Who are you? Because your pelt looks as if you fell out of a star" Snowfeather said.

"My name is Boldheart, and thank you for the compliment! Others tend to mock me for my fur. Now who are you? You look like you came out of a pile of freshly fallen snow"

She giggled, "That's what my mom always says! I'm Snowfeather."

"Your name fits," he said, "unlike mine, for I'm not really bold."

"I bet you will be," Snowfeather said, "You were bold enough to meet me! I've seen other griffins in Deer Place, and as soon as they see me, they run off! I still don't get why…"

"I think I know, because it happens to me too."

"It has? But why?" she asked, sounding very confused.

"Well, my parents came here when I was just an egg, because the place where they used to live had been too crowded and there wasn't much to eat. They didn't find out until I just hatched that all of the griffins here have darker coats. The griffins in the other place were all light or white colored. So, naturally, my parents and I have lighter coats."

"What does that have to do with the other griffins here running away?"

"They don't like the color of our coats; they say that it's unnatural for a griffin to have light coats, because they think that we can't hunt," Boldheart said, his voice filled with anger, his tail flicking back and forth, "It's harder for us to blend in with the ground, because our coloring doesn't match it."

Snowfeather was sitting there, sadness in her blue eyes, which were very uncommon for someone like her, "I can hunt! My mom has been teaching me!"

"I'm sure you can, but the fact that your coat is white, the prey can see you easily," Boldheart pointed out. Snowfeather thought for a minute, then said, "I have an idea!" She led Boldheart a little ways into Deer Place, until they reached a mud hole. "I found this place yesterday on my way back from hunting practice. If we roll in the mud before we go to hunt, our coats will be darker!"

"Wow, I never thought of that!" Boldheart said, sounding impressed.

They were about to go jump into the mud when Ravenwing flew down in front of them.

"Snowfeather, what are you doing? And who is this?" he asked.

"Dad, we just figured out how we can hunt better, and this is my friend Boldheart."

"Well, Boldheart, Snowfeather has to go home now, and I would expect you to do the same."

"Oh, yes, my parents will be looking for me too, so I'll go" Boldheart said calmly. He turned to Snowfeather and whispered in her ear as he was leaving, "Meet me at Big Hill at moonhigh tonight." Then he ran off, not bothering to fly, for trees were in the way. After he left, Ravenwing picked her up in his beak, as if she was a hatchling, and carried her out of Deer Place. Snowfeather didn't appreciate her dad doing this, so she started screeching for him to put her down. He did one they got to the cave, and she asked, "Why did I have to go home? Why did you send Boldheart away?"

"First, your mom wanted you to clean the nest, and I sent him away because you don't need to talk to him."

"Ok, I understand cleaning out the nest, but why can't I talk to him?"

"Because he doesn't belong here. He's a light colored griffin, and they belong where they came from."

"That's not a good excuse. He is the only other griffin that has ever talked to me, because the other griffins hate me for my color. And the way you're saying that light colored griffins don't belong here, to me it sounds like you don't want me around either." Snowfeather went into the cave, anger pulsing through her. _Why does color even matter?_ she thought, _Boldheart was really nice, but griffins still run away from him. Even Dad thinks that we shouldn't talk. I will meet him tonight, _she finally decided. _That will show them._

Snowfeather was lying awake in the nest, her parents sleeping. She was restless, she wanted to get some sleep before she went to meet Boldheart, but she was afraid that she would oversleep. She decided to get up and see how high the moon was, so she quietly jumped out of the nest and walked out of the cave. It was moonhigh! She jumped into the air and flew as fast as she could to Big Hill, hoping that he would be there. The moonlight shone on her feathers and pelt, making her glow. When she could see Big Hill, she could see something shining at the top. As she looked closer, she realized that it was Boldheart! The moonlight was hitting his feathers just right, causing them to shine like the moon itself. She landed next to him, and a purr came from him.

"I'm glad you came," he said.

"So am I," she answered, "My dad wasn't very happy that we were talking."

"I could see that. Color wise?"

"Yeah, but I think he shouldn't worry, cause I'm light colored too. He tried the 'don't talk to light colored griffins' thing, and he said that you guys should go back."

"Well, what did you say?" Boldheart asked.

"I told him that if he wanted you guys to go, that must mean that he wants me gone too."

He sat down, looking at her, and said "Wow, I'm sure he wasn't happy."

"He didn't talk to me for the rest of the night." She answered, looking unhappy.

"Well, I say that if we can't talk in the day, then we should meet up here and see each other in the night."

"Sure! That will be fun!" she purred, "What should we do now?"

"We could just sit here and talk about stuff," Boldheart said, "like how your eyes shine in the moonlight."

"They do?" Snowfeather asked.

"They look like pools of water, but blue like the sky."

"Thanks," Snowfeather said, blushing slightly, "Your feathers look like they came from the moon, for they shine like it." Boldheart purred, and he looked into Snowfeather's eyes, blue eyes looking into ocean green (another uncommon eye color) and said, "I think we should be friends forever, no matter what your dad says."

"Same here," said Snowfeather. They sat next to each other, Boldheart wrapped his wing around her, and she smiled at him. She leaned up against him, and she fell asleep to the sound of his purr.

When she woke up, Boldheart was still there, the sun just about to come up.

"We need to go home, before we get in trouble," Boldheart said. Snowfeather got up, and shook the dew off her pelt, spraying Boldheart, which caused him to shake too. They said their goodbyes, and went home. When Snowfeather arrived home, her parents were still asleep. She licked her fur dry, and preened her feathers, and climbed back into the nest, which was easier now that she had grown a little since winter. Every night after that, her and Boldheart met up at Big Hill. Seasons passed, and Snowfeather learned to hunt like a pro. Using the mud in Deer Place, she was able to blend in to the ground, making prey easier to catch. She grew, being from the size of a medium dog in the spring, to the size of a small pony that next winter. It would be the hardest winter for her. One night, she and Boldheart were sitting at Big Hill; a new moon was out, so it was dark. Snow was falling down gently. They were snuggling, trying to keep warm. Snowfeather had her head down, her eyes shut. Boldheart was lying down next to her, watching her. That's when something hit him. Snowfeather immediately rose up, poised to attack the intruder. When she looked up and them, she realized it was Ravenwing!

"Dad, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Getting him away from you," he growled. Boldheart got up and hissed at him, and said, "What did I ever do wrong?"

"You had my daughter come and sneak out of the cave."

"I didn't make her, she decided too," Boldheart said.

"Is this true?" he asked Snowfeather.

"Yes, it is, and why are you so upset about me seeing him?" she asked back.

"Because he's light colored, and us dark coats don't talk to them."

Snowfeather paused, then said, "ARE YOU CRAZY? THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" She walked up to her father, her eyes filled with anger, "I'm all white! Wouldn't that make me light colored too?"

"No, because you have dark coat blood, your color was a coincidence."

"UUUGGGGG, you make me so mad!" Snowfeather screeched at him. She flexed her claws, looking as if she was about to swipe him with them. Boldheart saw this, and ran over to where she was. He stood in-between them, trying to stop the fighting, but Ravenwing pushed him out of the way. He tried to hit Snowfeather, but she was too fast, for she leaped up into the air, and landed behind him. Before he could turn around, she nipped his tail, blood dripping off it in rivulets. He growled at her, and said, "Don't even try coming back home, because you have disgraced our family enough with that white coat of yours."

"I wasn't planning to," she said calmly. Ravenwing took off, and screeched back to her, "Goldenfur and I never want to see you again! Never!" Snowfeather watched her dad fly away, and then she started to cry. Boldheart sat next to her, threw his wings around her, and said, "Why don't we go off on our own, away from here, where no one will bother us?"

Snowfeather sniffled, "Really? What about your parents? Won't they be worried?"

"Actually, I was planning on moving out tonight, after we went back home, and they already knew this. Why don't I get some prey, and we'll eat?"

"Sure," she said. He took off into Deer Place, and Snowfeather was left sitting there, waiting for him to return.

Boldheart came back with two rabbits, which wasn't a lot, but was enough to fight off hunger for the night. After, they cleared out the snow around them, and settled down to rest. Before she went to sleep, Snowfeather whispered to him, "I'm proud of you, for trying to stop me and my dad from fighting, even though it didn't work"

"Thanks, but I'm proud of you, for standing your ground in front of your dad, even when he tried to hurt you, just to protect me.

"Thanks," she said, and she drifted off to sleep. The next day, they were about to leave, when Snowfeather remembered something, "We need to back to Griffin's Peak!" she told Boldheart.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I want one good look at the place before we leave."

"But won't we get in trouble? We will be close to your parents' cave."

"Just fly all way there," she said, "that way they won't notice our pawsteps." She jumped up and started flying toward Griffin's Peak, Boldheart followed. They flew there together, as close as their wings would let them, and landed on the ledge in unison. Snowfeather walked to the edge of the ledge, her claws wrapped tightly around the edge. She sighed, and flicked her tail, beckoning Boldheart over. She asked him, "Are we doing the right thing, leaving this place? It's been our home since we were chicks, it feels kind of… wrong, as if leaving it is insulting."

"Trust me, Snowfeather, it is. You need to get away from your dad, because it's obvious that he doesn't want you around anymore, so why stay?"

"But you don't have to go!" Snowfeather said, "You don't have to leave this wonderful place, just to be with me…"

"Yes, I do. I need you, and you need me. I need you more than you will ever know, and if you left without me, there would be no one else for me to be with, because everyone hates me but you," Boldheart nuzzled her, and she wrapped one of her wings around him.

"I know, and I do need you, and more then you will ever know," she said, and in her mind she said _Because I love you_.

They looked at the valley for one last time, and then flew off to the mountains, far beyond Deer Place, opposite of Big Hill. By nightfall, they reached the top of the first mountain, and were able to see the entire valley, even all the way to Big Hill, which from there looked more like a little lump than a hill. Snowfeather was sad to leave, but she looked ahead, wondering what was beyond the mountains. Boldheart sat down next to her, his green eyes warm with happiness. She nuzzled him, happy with the thought that she gets to be with him. They settled down to sleep, but Snowfeather lay awake, finding herself staring at Boldheart. He was sleeping heavily, his sides rising and falling with his breath. She loved him; he was the sweet, amazing, handsome, silver-feathered, green-eyed, protector that made her the happiest griffin in the area, and was really the only griffin that cared for her at all. She whispered to Boldheart, just low enough that he wouldn't wake up, "I love you, and I hope you feel the same." She went to sleep, without realizing that he was actually awake. When he knew she was asleep, she whispered, more to himself than to Snowfeather, "I know you do, but you'll have to tell me when you know I'm awake before I'll tell you whether I feel the same."

The next day, they left, and flew over the mountains. Over the next couple weeks, they passed over forests, rivers, fields, and these big square things that some odd creatures came in and out of. They seemed to be afraid of them, so they didn't pose a threat. Snowfeather loved being able to see new landscapes, but she was starting to get homesick. One night, after landing in a wooded area, Snowfeather broke down and starting crying. Boldheart came over and wrapped his wings around her, and asked "Why are you upset?"

"Because I miss home, I miss being with my parents, and there is other stuff…" she sniffed.

"Like what? What other stuff?" asked Boldheart.

"Nothing, it's fine…"

"Come on, tell me. I'm the only one, other than your parents, that you've known since you were a chick; I wouldn't think you would keep secrets from me."

"Fine. I… love you." she whispered

"I know you do. You whisper it to me every night when you think I'm asleep," Boldheart whispered back, "Before I tell you what I think of this, tell me why you love me."

"Because you are the only person that has stood up for me. Because you make me happy. Because you cared enough to come with me, and leave your family. Because you've been my friend, even when my dad tried to stop it. And because I think you feel the same, but won't admit it." She moved so that they sat face to face, her water-filled blue eyes looking into his oak-leaf green eyes, and said, "I love you for the way you are, the way your feathers shine in the moon, because they highlight your eyes, I love the way that you wrap your wings around me, and how you comfort me went I'm upset. I just love you."

Boldheart stared at her, his eyes warm with affection and appreciation, and nuzzled her. His tears got her feathers wet, but she didn't mind. He looked back at her, and said, "I've found that I do like you, for your smart, you've got fighting skills, you have the courage to fight your dad, and most importantly, you are also the only griffin other than my parents to actually care about me. I asked you to come out to Big Hill with me that one night when we were chicks, hoping that you would come and I could have a friend. Now I realize that you've been more than that. You've been there, all of those times, times when I'm upset about something, and I don't tell you. You always made me happy, just being able to talk to you, and to be able to make you smile. I do love you, I've just been waiting for you to tell me and know that I'm awake." They both broke out in a purr; eyes locked on each other, and then wrapped their wings around each other, like how a human would hug another human. Snowfeather licked him on the cheek, and he looked at her, surprised. She gave him a glance, then got up and said, "I should probably go and hunt." She ran off, not bothering to fly, because she wasn't going hunting just yet. She ran and ran, until she got to a clearing, the snow thin enough where you can see the tips of the grass blades, and sat on a rock in the middle. She was hunched over, shame making her feel sick. _Why in the gods' names did I do that? _She thought. _I only just told him, and I just went and did that? I'm an idiot._ She shut her eyes, wishing that she had never licked him. She sat there for awhile, until the moon was high above her, when she heard a sound. To her, it sounded like a yell, but she wasn't sure, until…

"Snowfeather! HELP!" The call filled her with dread. It was Goldenfur.

Snowfeather raced through the forest, forgetting why she was even there, her only thought was _I need to find my mom!_ She ended up finding herself back where Boldheart and she had been, and what she saw made her heart lurch. Goldenfur was lying on the ground, bleeding in multiple wounds, her eyes closed. Boldheart was also bleeding, staining his silver feathers red, but he was standing, his claws unsheathed. They were covered with blood. _Goldenfur's blood, _she thought. She approached Goldenfur, unsure if she was still alive or not. She sat next to her, and whispered, "Mom? Please tell me you're alive. Please…" Goldenfur let out a soft moan, opened her eyes a little, and said, her voice edged with pain, "Snowfeather, is that you?"

"Yes Mom, it's me. How did you find us? How did this happen?"

"Your father came home about a week ago, saying that you attacked him for no reason, and said you left him. I wanted to know your story, so the next day, after he left for hunting, I went in search of you. I followed your scent trail all the way here, but I also found another scent, one that I didn't recognize. It mingled with yours, and I was afraid that some griffin had taken you. When I got here, he started attacking me. I knew it was the same griffin, so I tried to explain who I was, but he wouldn't listen." Goldenfur faltered here, her eyes shut. The pain was obviously too much. Snowfeather was raging inside, but she didn't show it, not in front of her mother. Goldenfur looked back up at Snowfeather, and continued, "I screeched your name, hoping that you could help, maybe you could help fend him off, but…"

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I came as fast as I could!" A tear dripped down her beak. "I blame myself for this… I ran off, I did fight Dad… and Boldheart…" Snowfeather was full out crying now, and Boldheart stepped toward her, wanting to comfort her, but she hissed at him. He backed off, knowing that this was a bad time to get involved. Snowfeather bent over her mom, and whispered "I'm sorry, Mom. Boldheart, I love him. I didn't know he would attack without asking first, and I should have been there with him, but I ran off, I had to have some alone time… I blame myself…"

"Don't blame yourself; it's no griffin's fault."

"No, you don't understand…"

"No, I do. Love can make us do some things we aren't proud of. Your father and I ran away too, when we knew we were going to have you."

"Why? Why didn't you stay there?"

"Because your father came from a family with nothing but black griffins. They wanted him to find a mate that was also black, which would usually end up being related to him anyhow. One day, he found me, sitting in a sunny patch in the forest, creeping up on some prey. Because he was black, I didn't see him in the shadows, and he pounced on me." Snowfeather giggled, even though tears still ran on her beak. Boldheart sat close by, wanting to hear the story, but he didn't want to anger Snowfeather again. Goldenfur continued, "It was love at first sight. We both knew it, as soon as we looked each other in the eye. But his family didn't want it to happen, so we met in secret."

"Just like me and Boldheart…" Snowfeather whispered. She turned her head and looked at Boldheart, who looked at the ground, afraid she was going to hiss at him again. She looked back at her mom, and saw that she had shut her eyes again. Goldenfur coughed, and blood came out of her beak. Snowfeather nuzzled her, hoping that she could be of some comfort to her. Goldenfur whispered, "And then we found out that you were coming, so we left, for we knew that if we stayed, his family would kill you, and me. We flew until we got to the valley, and we stayed there and made a nest. I guess your father still had some hatred for light colored griffins, to make you and Boldheart run away. I don't blame you, he has been quite harsh…" she coughed up more blood, before she said, "My time is up, as it seems. I want you and Boldheart to stay together, even when you two get mad, because by the way you talk of him; he seems like a good mate for you. If you see your dad again, tell him that I love him." She coughed up blood one more time, and then she stilled.

Snowfeather just sat there, staring at her mother, not making a sound. Boldheart watched her as she sat vigil for her, until morning came. When the sun came and touched her feathers, she instantly put her head up, as if the light had given her energy. She got up, lay down next to Goldenfur's body, and pulled one of Goldenfur's wings over her, as she might have done when Snowfeather was a chick. Boldheart felt guilty, for it was his fault that Goldenfur was dead. _Why did I attack her? Why didn't I listen to what she was saying? _his mind kept asking him. He got up and preened his feathers, upset with himself for not paying attention. He was so lost in his mind that his beak got caught on a wound on his shoulder, and it started to bleed. Snowfeather looked up at the smell of it, her eyes red and bloodshot from crying and staying up all night. She looked at Goldenfur's body, as if she was telling it that she would be back, and got up, careful not to make her wing fall over onto her back. Snowfeather padded over to him, and started to lick his wound clean. He sat there, taken aback, but comforted at the same time.

He asked, "Why are you doing this for me?"

"Because, you're bleeding," she replied in between licks.

"I know that, but why do it, when I can do it myself?"

"Would you rather do it yourself? I can just sit over there."

"No, I'm good, I just thought-"

"That I would be mad at you?"

He paused, before he said, "Yes."

Snowfeather looked him in the eyes, and said, "I am, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop caring for you." Snowfeather reached down and scooped up a paw full of snow, and pushed in into his wound. Boldheart jumped into the air, the snow making the wound sting. "Relax, I'm just cleaning it." She continued to clean it, Boldheart hissed quietly as the snow started melting, causing his fur and feathers to get wet. After she was done, he licked his shoulder all dry, happy that it wouldn't be so cold anymore. When he looked up, he saw that Snowfeather had moved back over to her mother's body, her head turned down. The guilt washed back over him. _Why did I have to screw this all up?_ He padded over to Snowfeather, and sat by her. He noticed that Goldenfur's eyes were slightly open. Her eyes were once a rich brown, ringed with a hint of gold. Now they were dull, sightless, and they were starting to creep him out. He reached over to shut them, but Snowfeather stopped him. Her eyes brimmed with tears, as if just the sight of his grey fur against the golden fur or her mother brought back harsh memories of the night before.

He whispered in her ear, "If I had known, I wouldn't have done it."

She choked out, "I know." A tear ran down her beak, and dropped onto Goldenfur's face, and rolled off it, making it look like Goldenfur was crying as well. Boldheart scooted closed to her, but she didn't show any notice to it. He leaned toward her, and licked her on the cheek. She looked up, her eyes filled with tears and surprise.

He told her, "I love you, more than anything in the world."

She whispered, "And I love you." She dug her head into his shoulder, and started to sob. Boldheart wrapped an arm around her neck, and rested his head on hers. As he comforted her, he heard a sound, like a twig snapping in the woods. When he looked up, sheer terror flooded through him.

Two eyes stared back.

Filled with hatred.

An image flashed before Boldheart's eyes, and a memory, once long forgotten, played back in his mind.

It was snowing, and Boldheart was just a chick. It was the winter before he met Snowfeather, the same one where Snowfeather had her first romp in the snow. He was playing outside, close to the tree where his family nested. As he was a lonely child, he tended to pretend that there were others around him, and one of his best pretend friends was a little chick that was… well…

_It was Snowfeather…_ he realized

She was Snowfeather. Her pelt was white, her eyes were blue. Even her personality was the same.

_No wonder I couldn't take my eyes off her when I saw her. She was the friend that I had wished to have._

At the time, he didn't have a name for his pretend friend, but that didn't stop them from having fun. On this day, they were pouncing on each other. Boldheart pounced on his friend, and they started tumbling into Deer Place (the tree was on a hill). When they got to the bottom, his friend started crying.

"What's the matter?" Younger Boldheart said.

"I fell on a rock, and it hurt me!" She cried, and dug her head into his shoulder, the exact same way that Snowfeather is. Younger Boldheart wrapped his arm around her neck, and put his head on his, exactly like he was now. Then he heard a twig snap. Younger Boldheart looked up, and eyes stared back at him. Younger Boldheart got up; his thoughts too distracted to remember "Snowfeather", and started backing away. The eyes started moving closer, and the figure that owned them came out of the shadows. It was a griffin, but its colorings were different than those of any that lived in the area. It was black, with green iridescent feathers on his face and neck. His front paws and ankles were a crimson red, and was hard to tell that was the natural color of his fur, or if they were stained with blood. The griffin had a scratch across his beak, probably from a fight long ago. The griffin had an air about him that caused little Boldheart to want to hide, and never come out. All he could do was stand there in fear, unable to move. The mysterious griffin looked down on him, and gave a little snarl. Boldheart whimpered, and the griffin gave a little chuckle to himself. Boldheart looked back to the tree, where his parents didn't even know what was going on. The griffin noticed this, and started running up the hill, toward the tree. Young Boldheart stared at the griffin, confused, until he made the connection.

"No…" he whispered. He started running up the hill, but by the time he made it to the hollow, it was too late. The griffin had already attacked.

Young Boldheart saw his father push the griffin outside, for better fighting. His mother jumped on the stranger's back, but he was faster and rolled over, knocking her off. His dad lunged at the griffin's feet, but the griffin just knocked him away like a big fly. This continued on for about 10 minutes, until Boldheart's parents were exhausted. The strange griffin went for the final kill. He went for Boldheart's mom first, a quick bite to the neck and she was done. Then his father. He was lying on the ground, panting. The griffin slowly walked up to him, hatred in his eerie golden eyes. His father looked up, mercy in his eyes. Young Boldheart wanted to stop him, but he knew he couldn't. The griffin sliced open his father's throat, and took off into the sky, without another sound. Young Boldheart ran over to his parents, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Daddy?" he asked.

"Son…" his father choked out, "…Your mother and I love you…"

"Daddy! Don't go! I'll miss you too much…"

Boldheart's father stopped breathing, and was gone. Young Boldheart started crying, wanting nothing more than to be with his parents. As it got dark, the full moon caused their white and silver pelts to shine, and to Boldheart, it seemed as if there were two stars in the night sky that seemed brighter that the others.

Boldheart found himself back to the present, a tear sliding down his beak. He looked back into the woods, but the eyes were gone. The tear slid off the tip of his beak, landing in Snowfeather's ear. She looked up at him, tears still brimmed her eyes.

"What wrong?" she asked, sniffling a little.

Tears started to run off his cheeks, "Nothing… I'm fine…"

"Obviously that a lie, cause you're crying"

Boldheart moved away, his back to Snowfeather. "Boldheart?" She asked, "Can't you tell me what's up?"

Boldheart looked back at Snowfeather, fear, regret, and tears filled his eyes as he said, "My life has not been as good as you think." Boldheart started telling her the story. As he went on, he could see the shock in her eyes. When he got to the end, Snowfeather was comforting him. They were both lying down in the snow, wind blowing gently against their feathers. As Boldheart watched her slowly fall asleep, he covered her with one of his wings, like Snowfeather had her mother do so many times. Just before he too fell into the lull of sleep he saw a smile appear on her face.

The next morning, Boldheart opened his eyes, finding himself face-to-face to a pair of golden-orange eyes.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, sounding like a little chick as he jumped behind Snowfeather, waking her up.

"Boldheart, what's wrong?" she asked.

"IT'S THE MURDERER! HE WANTS REVENGE!" He cried, shaking behind her.

She looked over from where he bounded over her, and sitting there was a small griffin. It was blue-gray, with white patches on all four paws, her chest and stomach, and on her right ear. It also had one that went around her left eye, and went around its entire beak, causing its beak to be white. Its wings were also completely white. Its fur was matted, the feathers so tangled that there was no way that it could possibly fly. Not like it was in any shape to fly anyways, it was so thin. Its ribs showed through its skin, and its tail was bony. It only came up to her chest, but would probably be taller if it had been fully healthy.

"Boldheart, chill out, it's just a chick," she said in a 'you are being stupid' voice.

"I'm not a chick!" the small griffin called out, "I'm two whole seasons old!"

Boldheart looked from over Snowfeather, and sat up, washing himself from embarrassment. Snowfeather walked up to the young one and asked, "What's your name?"

"Patchfur," she said proudly, chest puffed out, "and boy, do I have a story for you!"

Boldheart got up and sat down beside Snowfeather, deciding that this little scrap of fur wasn't a threat. He noticed that there was something in Snowfeather's voice that he had never heard before. It sounded a lot like the tone that his mother had with him, back when she was alive.

"Ok, Patchfur, tell us about you," Snowfeather said.

"Ok," She said. She took in a breath, but before she could say anything, Boldheart interrupted with a "Wait a minute…" He took off into the woods, snow kicked up everywhere. After a ways, he stopped, and perked up his ears. He heard rustling in a nearby bush, and he pounced on the rabbit. He bounded back to the clearing. Patchfur nearly had a waterfall of saliva come out of her beak, when she saw the rabbit. Boldheart set it down by Patchfur, and a huge smile appeared on her face.

"For me?" She asked.

"You will need your strength before you tell us your life story," he replied. Patchfur started wharfing the rabbit down.

"Slow down!" Snowfeather cried, laughing. Boldheart joined in, glad to be happy for the first time in a while. He turned to Snowfeather, and saw the old her in her eyes. The Snowfeather he knew when they first met. She turned to him and smiled, and he smiled back. He set a paw on one of hers, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"_It will get better from here,_" he said silently to her, "_and I will always be here for you._"

Patchfur looked up from the remains of her rabbit, and said, "Are you two ready for a story?"

Snowfeather lifted her head from Boldheart's shoulder, and nodded. Patchfur closed her eyes for a second, and then looked up at Boldheart with an expression of sadness. "When I was about old enough to fly, my parents had been killed. I'm not really sure who he was, since it was dark when he attacked, but one thing I remember about him was that he have horrible, glowing golden eyes…"


End file.
